Ashli

(Image © Kodak Gallery and Soldiers' Angels Germany)

I know what it's like to come home to America after being gone for quite some time... but my emotion doesn't even compare to the emotion captured in this picture. In the past year, two of my students have been soldiers in Iraq. Both these soldiers have been excellent students. Each has also written their final paper on the Iraq War. The last student, I'll call him C, witnessed numerous atrocities (not that the other student hadn't, C just happened to share a lot of personal experiences). C survived having his tank bombed but had sadly witnessed numerous friends and colleagues die a violent death. What was so fascinating, and also such a good, albeit grave, remdinder is one thing that C wrote: there are those in existence who hate and hate without, arguably, a valid cause -- they hate to such a degree that they willingly die for their hate. Our soldiers are protecting us from this hate and they're allowing the American way of life to continue. I've always been one to thank a soldier ... but with additional experiences and additional knowledge, my heart is even heavier with gratitude for their sacrifice.